A New Jersey middle school has recalled all of its yearbooks after an image of Adolf Hitler as an infant was discovered in the publication’s baby photo section, prompting outrage, a police investigation, and a bias incident report.
Students at East Brook Middle School in Paramus were instructed to return their yearbooks after the image was found.
Principal Ryan Aupperlee called the inclusion of the photograph “a severe breach of our values.”
“Even if the image was not immediately recognizable to those paging through the book, its inclusion in an official school publication is a severe breach of our values. Adolf Hitler represents hatred, antisemitism, and the horrors of the Holocaust, including the murder of six million Jews,” Aupperlee said.
Paramus Mayor Chris DiPiazza said he spoke with school officials and the police chief following what he described as an “unfortunate incident.”
“Our borough’s strength has always been because we are a town welcoming to all faiths and home to numerous houses of worship. Any examples, like yesterday’s, does not reflect Paramus,” the mayor said.
Paramus Police confirmed that a bias incident report has been filed and that the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office has been notified.
The incident has sparked debate over who bears responsibility. While many residents questioned how the image made it through the editorial review process, others argued that not everyone would recognize a rare photograph of Hitler as an infant.
School officials have not publicly explained how the image was submitted or approved for publication.
Racist kids taught by Racist parents